1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for rolling up a tread such as used on a military tank or heavy earth moving equipment into a roll for easy transport.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain vehicles have been designed to operate in an off-the-road environment, such as military tanks and heavy earth moving equipment, such as bulldozers, etc. To provide effective movement of such vehicles on the ground which may be soft, muddy, etc., such vehicles are provided with treads in the form of a series of interconnected earth engaging pads which are driven around a series of aligned road wheels mounted on opposite sides of the vehicle. Due to the size and weight of such vehicles, the treads are extremely long and, of necessity, heavy. Typically, such threads exceed two tons in weight.
During initial assembly of the vehicle and also during subsequent repair and/or replacement of the threads, it is necessary to move the treads between a storage location and the vehicle. Due to the weight of each tread, such movement is a difficult and time consuming task. Typically, the tread is broken down into smaller sections which can be more easily handled by conventional equipment, such as forklifts, trucks, etc. However, such disassembly and re-assembly merely increases the amount of time required to install and/or remove a tread from the vehicle. What is needed is a device which provides easier handling and movement of a tread between various locations. It is to this end that the present invention is directed.